Soho and the 2 i’s coffee bar

“Soho is a place where all the things they say happen, do” – Colin Macinnes

The 2 i’s Coffee Bar in Old Compton Street

In 1953 the Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida opened the Moka coffee bar at 29 Frith Street in Soho. The café provided London with its first Gaggia expresso coffee machine and some have argued that the opening of this West End coffee bar was the early morning double-espresso that London needed to kick-start its way out of the grey post-war depression – ready to set itself up to become the world’s trendiest city in only a decade’s time.

Other coffee bars soon sprung up around Soho, often providing live music, and these included the Top Ten in Berwick Street and the Heaven and Hell bar in Old Compton Street. The most famous of all, however, and next door to the Heaven and Hell, was the 2 i’s at number 59.

Almost over night young people, who now for the first time were starting to be known as ‘teen-agers’ had somewhere to go they could call their own. The coffee shops were unlicensed and there was nothing to stop teenagers coming to Soho to listen to music, live, or on the jukebox. If you were young, Soho was suddenly the place to be.

Gina Lollobrigida in 1953

The Moka coffee bar in 1953, seemingly offering a free electric shave

Skiffle band playing on an old bomb site in Soho 1956

‘teen-agers’ in Soho 1956

Soho Square 1956

Lonnie Donegan September 1956

The Two i’s was bought in 1955 by an Australia wrestler called Paul Lincoln (Dr Death when in the ring – and one of the sport’s first masked wrestlers,cleverly enabling him to fight twice on the same bill, and thus doubling his fee). The name of the bar came from the two brothers called Irani he had bought it from.

The 2 i’s wasn’t a particularly busy place initially and it was quickly losing money, but this all changed when Lincoln started to put on skiffle groups that were becoming popular with teenagers, especially after Lonnie Donegan’s Rock Island Line had become a hit. Skiffle was suited totally to the new coffee shops due to the minimal, cheap and un-amplified instruments the bands used and thus able to fit into the tiniest, sweatiest cellar.

When a skiffle group called The Vipers came to play one night at the 2 i’s, a friend of theirs called Tommy Hicks helped them out with some vocals and so impressed a watching record producer from Decca that it was Hicks who was signed to his label. Hicks was quickly taken on and managed by a former shopkeeper called Larry Parnes, who persuaded him to change his name to Tommy Steele. The name stuck and a hit single called ‘Rock with the Caveman’ soon followed and literally within days Tommy Steele became Britain’s first genuine teenage pop idol.

Tommy Steele 25th February 1957

Tommy Steele at the Bread Basker 1957

Tommy Steele performing in Soho 1957. How young he was is written all over his face.

Steele’s overnight success made the basement of the 2 I’s coffee shop the most famous music venue in the country. It was only a small place though, and like the other Soho venues was usually very hot and sweaty, with a small 18 inch stage at one end, one microphone, and some speakers up on the wall.

Clutching their guitars, teenagers, from all over the country, started coming to the 2 I’s, or even Soho in general, to try and find fame and fortune. Cliff Richard and the Shadows (initially the Drifters) all met by being regulars at the cafe. Bruce Welch of the Shadows once said:

“The Two I’s was the place to be discovered. If it was good enough for Tommy Steele it was good enough for us.”

Larry Parnes, considering himself an ‘impresario’ and known to many as ‘Mr Parnes, Shillings and Pence’, started to manage other singers and after the success of Steele insisted on creating cartoonish pseudonyms, thus Reg Smith became Marty Wilde, Ronald Wycherley became Billy Fury and Clive Powell became Georgie Fame. Joe Brown, however rejected his Parnes’ name of Elmer Twitch (not surprisingly) and solely, it seems, had a music career with the name with which he was born.

Billy Fury and Larry Parnes

Joe Brown

Mr Parnes Shillings and Pence

Clive Powell aka Georgie Fame

Reg Smith aka Marty Wilde and a young Kim Wilde

Roy Taylor aka Vince Eager

Larry Parnes wasn’t known as the ‘beat svengali’ for nothing, and his relationship with his proteges was ‘fatherly’ at the very least. Vince Eager at one point was wondering why he hadn’t received any record royalties. “You’re not entitled to any,” Larry Parnes told him. “But it says in my contract that I am,” Eager protested. “It also says I have power of attorney over you, and I’ve decided you’re not getting any,” Parnes replied.

Parnes’ power in the music business swiftly declined with the rise of the Beatles (he rejected them as a backing group for Billy Fury at one point) and, always happier with family entertainment, he went on to produce theatre shows. However the mid to late fifties was an incredibly exciting and creative time for British music and the attraction of rock ‘n’ roll brought talented (and, to be fair, not so talented) teenagers from all over the country to try their hand at a new musical fashion.

It seemed, at last, that anyone from any backgrould could make it. Only Punk, perhaps, echoed the musical ‘can do’ atmosphere of this period, just two decades later.

Frith Street in 1956, known as Froth Street in the heyday of the coffee bars

Leon Bell and the Bell Cats and some hand-jiving kittens

Doing what teenagers do best, hanging around. In Soho

The skiffle group City Ramblers in 1955

Bill Kent entertaining the ladies at the 2 I’s coffee bar

It’s now over fifty years since the heyday of the 2 I’s coffee bar in Old Compton Street. A lot of the Soho cafes, like everywhere else, are either closing down or becoming part of the ubiquitous Starbucks chain. Starbucks, of course, branched out last year and started their own record label featuring cutting edge artists such as Carly Simon and James Taylor.

The ubiquitous coffee chain also signed Paul McCartney, who fifty years ago was inspired by the skiffle boom created by the Soho Coffee shops to join John Lennon’s skiffle band The Quarrymen. And we all know what happened to them.

The Quarrymen in 1958

A long way from the Moka coffee bar and Gina Lollobrigida

If you’ve only heard the novelty songs of Donegan, you will be surprised by his version of Frankie and Johnny – his voice, by the end of the song, ends up almost going insane. It was one of John Peel’s all time favourite songs I think. I have also included the Peter Sellers sketch which includes ,what is apparently, an extremely accurate impression of Larry Parnes. It’s also very funny and written by Denis Norden and Frank Muir.

Anybody know what happened to the skiffle guitarist and ladies man Bill Kent?

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I’ve come to love the British rock ‘n’ rollers, and think they get a bad press. Certainly they new nothing about the Blues, nor ever seen a white gospel revivalist meeting. Neither did they drive trucks around Memphis, and hang out at drive in movies. They didn’t get direct contact with the “black” roots of the music, and probably wouldn’t have liked it much if they did. Their approach was simple: Copy Elvis. And to them that meant one thing and one thing only: Shiny stage suits and lots of hip action.

Was Buddy Holly a great songwriter? Yes. Was Elvis the greatest performer ever? Yes. But did they bite the end off of Heinz’s nose? No. It took Jess Conrad to do that. The British guys were so decadent and outrageous that I really think the roots of Rock comes more from the show bizz traditions of “spectacle” they espoused, than it does the Americans.

(Big “up” for Billy Fury and Joe Brown though. They were the real deal, and had it all).

Thanks for posting the 2 I’s pictures. (Tommy Steele had acne?) and Dr Death looks like he’s walked straight from the set of “Kid For Two Farthings”.

It brings back great memories of working in the west end of London in the 60s, I met lots of pop-stars coming in for a meal in the Cumberland Hotel, Dusty, Billy, Marty, Joe, etc. I wish I could go back, ah well they were great days and the people were lovely, see ya Jimmy

Yes the 2is brings back very good memories from the 1950s. I had my first cup of espresso coffee which was 9d.
Also had one of my first dates was there and listened to Cliff Richard singing Living Doll and Frankie Vaughan Green Door. at about 2am we got on to my vespa and drove home.

Great blog. I remember all those times and watching Tommy Steele’s first picture in the local cinema. We all wanted to look like Marty Wilde in those days as I remember. I worked in the Savoy Hotel in the sixties so I found the blog featuring the Savoy very interesting. Nice work. I visit quite often and I am always amazed at the material in here. Those were the days!

You say “Tommy Steele became Britain’s first genuine teenage pop idol” I completely disagree with your classification of Tommy. Substitute “artificial” or “pretend” for “genuine”. He might have been a good cockney music hall act and light entertainer in the opinion of some but he had no feel whatsoever for rock n roll and never made a rock n roll record.
I first got into rock n roll in 1953 with Bill Haley’s “Shake Rattle n Roll”. I listened to AFN and dug Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Elvis as well. I had been listening to all the best in r n r before Tommy came along.
In 1956(?) I read one day in the Daily Mirror that the 1st British r n r singer would be on TV that night so I made sure to watch that program. On came Tommy to sing “Rock with the Caveman.” And I knew from the 1st two bars that it was going to be rubbish and definitely was not rock n roll. I listened , in pain, to the song, then left the room in disgust.
To rockers at that time Tommy was a bad joke. Adults at that time had no idea what r n r was. To them Tommy seemed to be r n r because he looked the part but to teenagers he just didn’t have what it took. Adult promoters wanted there to be a British rocker so’s they could cash in on it and they decided Tommy was it but they were wrong. He soon degenerated to be a cockney song n dance man in movies like “Half a Sixpence” where he belonged.
The title belongs to Cliff Richard who was a rocker, had the looks and the song “Move It” is still one of the greatest rock songs of all time. When I heard the 1st 2 bars of “Move it” I thought “Oh thank God! Finally we have a British rocker.”
In recent bio shows on BBC both Cliff and Marty Wilde said as I have said. They never rated Tommy Steele as a rocker. Listen to Rock with the Caveman today. To painful to believe. Listen to Move It. Still one of the all time greats.

Your picture of The City Ramblers Skiffle Group dated 1955 shows Shirley Bland on washboard. I was only a child then but I met Shirley several times in the fifties. My uncle was the late Russell Quaye and my auntie is Hylda Syms. I still remember their Skiffle parties with visiting celebrities, and visiting their skiffle club “The Cellar” in Greek Street in Soho. Apart from the photo you haven’t mentioned them at all which is strange considering their big impact at the time.

Great body of work have have really enjoyed strolling along this site. Although it was years later I would bunk of school in the late seventies and dose about in Soho. Thing was many places where still there and then I started collecting records and found myself in some great little shops in some great little alley ways.

A picture of the young Georgie Fame. Nice. I think we used to go to Whiskey AGogo in Wardour Street to do “partnerless” dance to his band. He was my favourite. We danced to records at The Inferno near Welling Station aswell and saw International live bands at The Black Prince public house in Bexley. Chislehurst Caves was also a great venue for progressive rock. My teens were chock full of music and dancing practically every night.

To Stephen Quay and Brian Falmer: my father was a very close friend of Russell’s and lived with him for a while. In fact, I’m named after him. Also, I own a number of original paintings by Russell, mostly Jazz influenced but not all. If you want to make contact I’m on Russellwrose@gmail.com

Hi Jeanette – my name is Colin and was singing at the ‘Top Ten’ in early 1960 but joined a band formed by Ian Hines and went to Hamburg in June 1960 with Tony Sheridan. We were the first British band in Hamburg and probably the first in Germany. I don’t know if I was the only Colin singing in the Top Ten in 1960 though!… regards…Colin

Hi All – What a great blog. Full of late fifties memories. Totally agree with Neil. Tommy Steel wasn’t rated at all – in fact it took some doing, getting us lot off American music. Cliff was the first…and the Shadows. Once I turned up at the 2is, heard the “awful” live music coming up, and went to Heaven and Hell instead. Does anyone remember the Cafe des Artistes? Where was it? It was dark, and smelt a bit damp, but it was the place to meet up with the lads – on one occasion, the London Welsh Rugby team, I seem to remember (no, not all of them!)

I backed COLIN HICKS,(TOMMY STEELES brother.) at the TOP TEN CLUB,
Soho.Could this be the Colin, Jeanette meant? Does anyone remember
a coffee ACT1 ACT1 opposite the 2i’s coffeebar Old Compton st Soho?
It’s been quoted as the place where CLIFF RICHARD was discovered.

Jeanette the Colin you may thinking of could be Tommy Steeles
brother,whom i backed at the TopTen his name was Colin Hicks.Does
anyone remember a theatre bar Act1 Scene2 opposite the 2i’s coffeebar?
It,s been quoted that Cliff Richard was discovered there.

You had to be a member to get into the 2 I’s basement club. However,if the back of your card had not been already signed by “Tammy” it was not considered authentic and you still did not get in. It sure was a confined spacel but I still managed to execute the whirling form of Bohemian – or trad style -dancing without hitting anyone. That, a Coke and a Gauloise. Happy Days.

Wow, my sons rock band Hornet just played the 12 bar club Denmark street August 2011. I remember some one saying years ago my late uncle Russell Quaye had a club in soho. So with the help of Google, bingo I discover it was a skiffal club” The Cellar club” Creek Street and checking the postings I discover a cousin and a husband of a cousin unknown to each other or me have put up postings WOW

Hello 2 i`s cats,
We first went to the 2`i s in `61. As usual, us as thirteen year-olds would ‘play the hop’ from school and hang about Soho all day. The following year found me and my friends on various occasions, downstairs listening to white folk performing, altho` I didn`t realise at the time.. R ‘n’ B.
I never recall having to be a member or having to sign anything to go downstairs.
My memories are vivid barring one point – and the reason for my question will become clear in a moment…
As one would walk through the coffee bar to the rear… were there or not.. three doors facing us? The one on the left to the office then two more at the top of the stairs.. ladies and gents toilets?
The reason I`m asking is because I`m in the process of building a model of the coffee bar.
Your help would be appreciated – thank you, Chester

Happy days! It was such a great time in my life, the 2 Is was great as was the Top Ten Club, The Freight Train and many others. Well remember Vince Eager, Tony Sheridan, Liquoice Locking, Brian Bennett, Vince Taylor, Rick Richards, and many many more. So glad I didn’t miss it all!

Reply to Raye Du-Val re ‘Act 1 Scene 1′ coffee house/restaurant in Old Compton Street, I remember it well, I worked there as a waitress in 1960/61. It was a good place to work, all the girls from the Raymond Revue show used to come in, and actors and actresses from the nearby theatres used to be regular customers, I remember Cliff Richards came in, and Vince Eager, and lots of other well known show biz people.
Soho was so much better fun then. We used to go to the Amalfi for coffee or pizza.

Hi I knew Russell, Hilda, Shirley and Jim etc. when I used to play with the Spiders Skiffle group. Shirley helped me to play washboard. Those were good days. Who were the US couple that came one night, Darrol Adams? They were Texan and one of them’s stetsons was behind the frieze above the stage, I also remember when the guy on violin popped up in the audience and started to play, he of course was invited to join in on stage.

the picture of tommy steele, with the HAND JIVE GIRL’S was at the CAT’S WHISKER COFFE BAR. the r/r group were THE BELL CAT’S i am the DRUMMER with leon and jerry. bring’s back a lot of great memories. WHERE DID IT ALL GO

Love your blogs, I was born in denmark street couple of doors up from tin pan alley,1954,,reading your stuff brings back a lot of my childhood,,I worked in the golden goose,and in las vegas arcade in wardour street, i used to drink in the old french house with a well known face Frankie blake, he used to be a wrestling ref with dale martin. its all changed now, when i go home to see my old mum. i always feel a little down… keep up the good work..all the best

My band The Lee Jordan 5 played at The 2i’s c1962. Another band was on from Wales, I think. Called The Solid 7. I think! Nice Scotty Moore style lead guitarist. Tom Littlewood was the manager then. He gave us quite a few gigs around London. We also auditioned at The Flamingo on a Sunday afternoon. After we played a full rhythm and blues band played. We just stood there mouths open listening. It was Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames! Fantastic! Believe they’ve just finished a week at Ronnie Scott’s. Happy days!

Thanks all for the good stories and memories. I played at The 2i’s c1963/4 as bass player with Nick Terence and the Gunshots. We recorded some demos at IBC with Glyn Johns and one track we wrote was called Uncle Tom after Tom Littlewood. As well as playing there he gave us various gigs around London and I vaguely remember the offer of a tour of Germany backing a singer called Bridgette Bon, which we declined. I have some photos of the band down there. If any one is interested contact me at: martinsage1@hotmail.co.uk